PARIS – Emmanuel Macron, the French President, cautioned Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, not to disregard decisions made by the United Nations. The French President made these remarks during a regular meeting with his ministers on Tuesday, with these accounts being validated by an attendee of the meeting, according to reports from French media outlets.

Macron is reported to have pointed out that Israel’s establishment was a result of a U.N. decision. He was making reference to the U.N. General Assembly’s November 1947 vote that ended the British mandate over Palestine, leading to the division of the territory into Jewish and Arab states.

There have been recent exchanges of strong words between Macron and Netanyahu, amid growing concerns about the potential escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. This potential escalation carries the risk of involving Lebanon and its civilian population.

In a recent interview with French radio, the French president called for an end to arms deliveries to Israel, which elicited a strong response from the Israeli prime minister, who accused Macron of bringing ‘shame’ upon himself.

Macron’s appeal to Netanyahu to respect U.N. decisions was in reference to the ongoing situation in southern Lebanon, and the Israeli attacks on U.N. peacekeepers. This was condemned by 40 nations in a statement released on Saturday. The Israeli ambassador to France was summoned by Paris following an incident in south Lebanon that resulted in injuries to two U.N. staff.

France’s Minister of Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, reiterated these warnings on Monday, stating in an interview with a journalist that Israel’s disregard for U.N. resolutions was problematic. He also reminded that it was indeed a U.N. resolution that led to the creation of Israel.

This report includes contributions from Laura Kayali.